1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to apparatus and methods for improving speech through proper synchronization of speech and breathing. More particularly, the present invention relates to apparatus and methods for indicating respiratory phases in an individual so that speech may be self-synchronized with respiration.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Respiration or breathing occurs as respiratory or breathing cycles, each lasting about four seconds and having an inspiration or inhalation phase followed by an expiration or exhalation phase. In the inspiration phase, the respiratory muscles of the chest and abdomen expand, allowing inspiration or inhalation of air through the anatomical airway and into the lungs. Conversely, the respiratory muscles contract in the expiration phase, allowing expiration or exhalation of air from the lungs and the anatomical airway.
It is essential for speech fluency that speech be properly and precisely synchronized with respiration. Speech production occurs as speech cycles, each beginning with a relatively rapid inspiration or inhalation in the inspiration phase of the respiratory cycle. As the respiratory muscles thereafter contract in the expiration phase of the respiratory cycle, air is pushed out through the vocal folds, thereby generating voice, and through the articulating structures of the mouth, thereby generating sounds. The speech cycle ends when no more air is being exhaled, and a new speech cycle begins with another relatively rapid inspiration in the inspiration phase, during which a pause in speaking occurs. Fluent speech requires constant airflow out while speaking or vocalizing and short inspirations perfectly timed during pauses in speaking. Accordingly, the speech cycle must be synchronized with the respiratory cycle in that pauses in speaking or vocalization must be synchronized with the inspiration phase, and speaking must be synchronized with the expiration phase.
A great number of people are deficient in normal speech production and experience impaired synchrony of speech and respiration due to clinical disorders or disease. Improper synchronization between speech and breathing are affiliated with speech dysfluencies and speech impediments such as stuttering. In the U.S. alone, there are an estimated 2.4 million adults who stutter. Various other speech problems, such as cerebral palsy speech and chronic voice disorders, are not uncommon. Speech production and fluency for individuals with defective or impaired speech may be improved by improving speech/respiration synchronization. Although patients can be taught speech/respiration synchrony in a clinical setting, it is difficult for the patients to implement the teachings once they leave the clinical environment. There are no inconspicuous, portable devices for continuously and effectively indicating respiratory phases in individuals to allow self-synchronization of speech and respiration, particularly in a non-clinical environment.
Various devices have been proposed to monitor or detect breathing interruptions or cessations, as represented by U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,891 to Eisenfeld, No. 5,540,733 to Testerman, No. 5,295,490 to Dodakian, No. 5,277,194 to Hosterman et al., No. 5,107,855 to Harrington et al., Nos. 4,909,260 and 4,889,131 to Salem et al., and No. 4,694,839 to Timme. The Dodakian and Salem et al. patents disclose the use of belts to assist monitoring. U.S. Pat. No. 3,782,368 to Reibold discloses a belt with a sensor for measuring breathing frequency. None of the foregoing patents is concerned with indicating specific inspiration and expiration respiratory phases of breathing. A speech training system for training and improving the coordination between respiration and voice production is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,135 to Friedman et al. The system requires a microphone and respiratory sensors connected to video display and voice output units for simultaneously displaying voice and breathing motion patterns. Since the user must be connected to the video display, the system is not portable and is not amenable to being used by an individual in a non-clinical setting, must less during normal routine activities.
It is a primary object of the present invention to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art in the area of speech/breathing synchronization.
Another object of the present invention is to continuously indicate respiratory phases in individuals in non-clinical environments.
A further object of the present invention is to continuously indicate respiratory phases in an individual via a portable indicating apparatus capable of being inconspicuously worn by the individual. An additional object of the present invention is to continuously communicate tactile signals to an individual indicative of respiratory phases being experienced by the individual.
It is also an object of the present invention to utilize the position of the respiratory muscles in an individual during respiration to obtain an indication of respiratory phases.
The present invention has as a further object to use inaudible, tactile signals to stimulate an individual to speak in synchrony with the expiration phase of respiration and to pause between speaking in synchrony with the inspiration phase of respiration.
The advantages of the present invention are that the apparatus and methods are applicable to a wide range of speech impediments and disorders, continuous and instantaneous feedback of breath stream dynamics may be provided to users, users of the apparatus and methods do not need to be connected or xe2x80x9chooked upxe2x80x9d to any cumbersome equipment, the apparatus and methods can be used by individuals while engaged in normal, routine activities, the duration of each respiratory phase is apparent to users so that respiration rate may be self-controlled to maintain optimal conditions, and the apparatus and methods are beneficial for use in other applications or areas, such as general relaxation.
These and other objects, advantages and benefits are realized with the present invention as generally characterized in an indicating apparatus comprising a strap for being worn by a user, typically around the chest or abdomen. The strap has a variable condition that changes in response to expansion of the user""s respiratory muscles as air is inhaled during the inspiration phase of a respiratory cycle and contraction of the user""s respiratory muscles as air is exhaled during the expiration phase of the respiratory cycle. A sensor of the indicating apparatus is carried by or forms part of the strap and is adapted to sense or detect the variable condition of the strap during the respiratory cycle. The sensor generates digital or linear electrical output indicative of the sensed variable condition. If a linear electrical output is generated, a processor of the indicating apparatus processes the electrical output of the sensor to determine whether the user is inhaling or exhaling. The processor, which is carried by the strap, generates a first command signal when it determines that the user is inhaling and generates a second command signal when it determines that the user is exhaling. If a digital electrical output is generated, the first and second command signals can be obtained therefrom without the need for a processor. The first and second command signals are used to operate one or more signaling devices of the indicating apparatus. The one or more signaling devices, which are carried by the strap, are operable to produce a tactile pause signal when the first command signal is generated and to produce a tactile vocalization signal when the second command signal is generated. Accordingly, the tactile pause signal is produced while the user is inhaling, and the tactile vocalization signal is produced while the user is exhaling. The vocalization signal serves as a prompt to the user to speak in synchrony with the expiration phase. The pause signal serves as a prompt to the user to pause from speaking in synchrony with the inspiration phase. Over a plurality of respiratory cycles, the indicating apparatus assists the user in properly synchronizing speaking with the expiration phases and pauses between speaking with the inspiration phases so as to improve speech fluency.
A method according to the present invention of indicating respiratory phases in a user is generally characterized in the steps of sensing a variable condition of a strap that is worn by a user as the variable condition changes in response to expansion and contraction of the respiratory muscles of the user during inhalation and exhalation, respectively; determining whether the user is inhaling or exhaling from the sensed variable condition; and producing a first tactile signal indicative of inspiration in response to a determination that the user is inhaling or a second tactile signal, tactilely distinguishable from the first signal, indicative of expiration in response to a determination that the user is exhaling.
A method according to the present invention of self-synchronizing speech with respiration is generally characterized in the steps of wearing a stretchable strap of an indicating apparatus so that the strap linearly expands in response to expansion of the respiratory muscles during the inspiration phase of a respiratory cycle and linearly contracts in response to contraction of the respiratory muscles during the expiration phase of the respiratory cycle; perceiving a tactile vocalization signal produced by the indicating apparatus while the strap is linearly contracting; speaking while the tactile vocalization signal is perceived; perceiving a tactile pause signal produced by the indicating apparatus while the strap is linearly expanding; and inhaling air and pausing from speaking while the tactile pause signal is perceived. When repeated over a plurality of respiratory cycles, the user is able to synchronize speaking with the expiration phases and to synchronize inhalation and pauses in speaking with the inspiration phases of the respiratory cycles.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like parts in each of the several figures are identified by the same reference numbers.